Features

On Wednesday at 11:51 a.m., a 13-year-old boy called in to report that he was playing basketball behind a duplex on the 1700 block of Oregon when a 25-year-old man approached him, began calling him names, made fun of his tennis shoes, and said that his playing was “weak.” The man picked the boy up by the armpits and tried to throw him into a nearby garbage can. Another basketball player saw this happening and intervened but not before the suspect hit the boy in the stomach and began to choke him.

Theft

A Berkeley woman on the 2700 Fulton parked and locked her red 21-speed Peugeot cross-trainer hybrid bicycle, with a Canadian flag bumper sticker, to a pole at 1 a.m. in the morning on Wednesday. When she went to retrieve the bike at 10:30 a.m., the bike was gone. No suspects are in custody.

Hit-and-run

At 9:55 a.m. on Wednesday, a Berkeley woman on the 1300 block of Northside called in to report that a dark blue Nissan had struck her car and then taken off. Her car sustained minor front damage. No suspects have been identified.

Connected robberies

On Tuesday at 9:25 p.m., a 41-year-old Berkeley resident was walking west on Berkeley Way from Shattuck on the northside sidewalk when he heard people behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw two young men walking quickly towards him. One of the suspects had one of his hands under his hoody (as if to conceal a weapon). They confronted the victim and demanded his money. The second suspect went through the victim’s pockets and only found pocket change. The two took off eastbound on Berkeley Way.

Fifteen minutes later, a 37-year-old Oakland man was walking eastbound on Berkeley Way towards Shattuck when he saw two young men approaching him. When they reached him, they pushed him against a fence at 2005 Berkeley Way. One of the suspects had his hand under his hoody, while the other suspect checked his pockets and took $300 from his wallet. They returned the wallet to the victim. The two fled westbound on Berkeley Way towards Milvia Street. The suspects are not in custody.

Auto burglary

On Tuesday, a 17-year-old Lafayette girl reported an auto burglary on the 800 block of Potter Street. She had parked her black ’99 Ford F250 at 8:30 p.m. When she returned at 10:10 p.m., she discovered that her purse and wallet (with cash, driver’s license, debit cards, and credit cards) were missing. The officer determined that a vandal had popped the window.

Robbery

On Tuesday at 10:32 p.m., a 28-year-old Oakland man, who works at a Chinese restaurant in Oakland, was delivering Chinese food on the 1400 block of Ward Street. When he reached the single-family dwelling, three male suspects hit the deliveryman. who fell to the ground. One man came behind him and grabbed his neck, while the other two yelled to get the driver’s money. Two of the three suspects examined the deliveryman’s pockets. He began to fight and scream. He suffered some abrasions to his elbows during the fall. The three suspects made off with the $33 worth of Chinese food and the contents of his pockets.